Chapter 6

Though I told myself not to follow that news, I couldn't help clicking on updates.

Every report came with striking photos: Violet walked out of the courtroom haggardly, her once proud face full of tear marks; Alric stood at the place where I "jumped into the sea", his back hunched over

Chapter 7

The afternoon sun streamed into the clinic. I was carefully bandaging the injured hind leg of an orange tabby cat, my movements gentle and precise.

The child who had brought it—a little girl with pigtails and worried eyes—lay on the nearby examination table, curiously watching my every

Chapter 8

"Since you recognize my writing," I said without turning around, my voice carrying a calm that was more terrifying than any shout, "you should remember exactly who created those formulas you claimed as your own."

I slowly stood, positioning myself between Violet and the vulnerable patie